Borders: 33% off any item.

Well, I can clearly see the end of summer through my rain-spattered, dark grey window, so we might as well start stocking up on winter reading for those cozy couch-and-hot-tea evenings. Borders is here to help with a 33% off coupon, good through Sep. 2.

Is it wrong that this is my choice of reading material?

Tanga: Kiplingers Personal Finance for $6.

Tanga's offering another magazine deal today - Kiplinger's Personal Finance for $6. Oh, it may say $14.99 right now, but use promo code FINANCE and watch the price magically drop!  If that's any sign of what this magazine can do for you, then I totally want in.

Free Kashi samples.

I couldn't post this one yesterday because Kashi's site was crawling due to so much traffic, but it looks like it's working again today.  Get your free sample from the Kashi TLC Snack Drive - your choice of TLC Cereal Bar Ripe Strawberry, Chewy Granola Bar Trail Mix, or Original 7 Grain Crackers.

I've tried many a Kashi snack in my time and I pretty much like them all - they're surprisingly tasty for being hippie snacks. I opted for the 7 Grain Crackers, but any of these would be a win, so choose your favorite!

Family Circle magazine, $3.50 subscription.

Tanga has another magazine deal today on Family Circle... it's listed as $14.99, but use promo code "FAMILY" and they'll knock it down to $3.50.  If you know any wholesome parental types who enjoy coupons and family-pleasing recipes, I bet they'll like this sweet subscription deal!

Reminder: Bare Escentuals free "make-unders" in Seattle's Pike Place Market today.

Remember, today's the day: Bare Escentuals is bringing their pretty pink makeup truck to Seattle's Pike Place Market to offer YOU free "make-unders" and deluxe samples of their mineral foundation!


The van goes back to Bellevue on August 31 for the Live at Lunch event at City Center Plaza, so if you're on the Eastside, you can catch it there tomorrow.

Borders: 33% off any item.

Friday = Borders coupon day!  Well, really any day = Borders coupon day, but let's not quibble.

33% off any item at Borders, good through August 29.

FREE Netflix iPhone app is here!

Yes, the free Netflix for iPhone app is here at last! Well, it's only free if you already have a Netflix account, but who doesn't anymore? (If you're one of the unlucky few, you can start a free trial membership on the app page, too.)

It also works for the iPad and iTouch, so if you have any of those devices, you're all set up for instantly streaming TV and movies. Now I can watch "Say Yes to the Dress" from anywhere in the world! Truly, this is humanity's finest moment.

Seattle: Free Brown Bear car washes today till 8 pm!

Hey Seattleites, do you have a filthy car? I sure do, since I park at the corner of Bird Poop Alley and Pollen Street. Therefore, today I should take my car to a Brown Bear car wash and get a FREE customer appreciation car wash!

See the list of participating locations and point your grimemobile to the nearest one. It's 8 am till 8 pm, and it's not like you're going to be heading to the beach in this weather, am I right?

(Thanks, Matt A.!)

Aveeno: Free 'poo and conditioner sample.

If you haven't already signed up for this Aveeno 'poo and conditioner sample offer that pops up periodically, why not try it now?  I've sampled several Aveeno products in my time and I like them all. I actually just bought a curl-boosting spray thing, so we'll see how well that works, but you can't beat free 'poo.

Restaurant.com gift certificates 80% off.

Restaurant.com is back with another steal of a deal - $25 "gift certificates" are going for $2 and $10 "certificates" for $0.80 with promo code CLEARANCE, through August 31.

Remember, the deal is that you're effectively paying $2 for a $25-off-a-minimum-purchase-of-$__ coupon, usually with some additional restrictions (e.g., alcohol and tip don't count toward the total). The most common minimum purchase is $35, so you'd be paying $12 out of pocket for $35 worth of food ($2 "gift certificate" price + $10 difference). But some of the places have a much higher minimum purchase or other restrictions, so read the terms carefully for a restaurant before you buy!

Amazon: 2-years-for-the-price-of-1 magazine sale.

Amazon often has some pretty great deals on magazine subscriptions, which is why my mailbox is choked full of them on a weekly basis... but I digress.  Now you can enjoy a 2-year subscription for the price of 1 year (which in itself is deeply discounted from the newsstand rate).  They sure are desperate to sell magazines these days.

It's kind of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of women's mags, some hobby and craft titles, and a few home decor magazines.  Make sure you browse using the side-scrolling thingy on the Magazine Subscriptions page, because if you follow the "Special Offer" link on a magazine product page, you won't see all eligible titles.

• Popular Science, $12
• Esquire, $8
• Harper's Bazaar, $8
• Marie Claire, $10

Free Emergen-C Blue sample.

Emergen-C is back with yet another free sample offer, this time for their Blue flavor. A portion of the proceeds from sales goes to the Surfrider Foundation, which helps various clean-water causes including a certain oil spill we've all heard about.

A while ago, they ran an ad campaign about the delicious blue cocktails you could whip up using different flavors of Emergen-C, which was a pretty clever idea. I never did try any of those, but maybe it's not too late...

Seattle: Free Bare Escentuals "make-unders" + samples, Aug. 28-31.

Seattle ladies, check it out: Bare Escentuals is bringing their pretty pink makeup truck to Bellevue and Seattle next week to offer YOU free "make-unders" and deluxe samples of their mineral foundation!

The "Quickie Van Tour" will be in our area from August 28–31, starting at Bellevue Square on August 28 during Fashion Week '10. The van moves to Northgate Mall on August 29, Pike Place Market on August 30, and back to Bellevue on August 31 for the Live at Lunch event at City Center Plaza.

I don't believe they're selling anything directly, just offering demos and free samples, so if you see that pink van, stop in for a quickie!

BOGO ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.

End of "summer" getting you down? Well, even if you're not headed back to school, Ben & Jerry's is offering a BOGO treat to turn your frown upside down: buy one ice cream cup or cone and get the second free!

This coupon is a little vague and doesn't give an expiration date or anything, so I'm not 100% sure it's valid for everybody (you know how mad companies get when their special-customer-only coupons go viral, and they refuse to honor them).  But if you and a friend have been craving ice cream, it might be worth a try...

Borders: 33% off any item.

Gosh, it seems like it's been so long since the last 33% off coupon from Borders...

Oh, wait, no it doesn't.  But that's not going to stop them!

Revel in the 33% off any item savings through August 26.

Information: Seattle libraries will be closed 8/30 through 9/6.

If you're a Seattle library patron, you probably know this already, but just as a reminder, libraries will be closed from Aug. 30 to Sep. 6. On the bright side, due dates will be suspended and no late fees will accrue during that time, and their online database will still be working; on the downside, book drops won't be open, patrons won't be able to reserve a computer in a branch, the Quick Information telephone service will be down, and you can't send texts or e-mails to librarians or chat with them online. Oh, and no free wifi.

However, the electronic/digital collection of e-books, music, and movies WILL be available, so if you haven't ever tried that, this might be a good week to give it a whirl. 

This furlough will save $650,000, part of $3 million in cuts the library system was required to make in 2010, and more unpleasantness may be coming, like higher late fines. If you feel strongly about this, consider attending the public hearing on the idea at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Central Library.

Free Bic Easy Glide pen offer still going - 1,000 a day!

I kept getting mad at myself for forgetting this offer every day and blowing my chance at a free Bic Easy Glide pen. They're giving away 1,000 pens a day - how hard is it to remember to go and sign up?  But I finally did it today (with the help of an Outlook reminder), and I think you should too.

Fill out the form for your free Bic Easy Glide pen, and if you should happen to miss it today, their official "day" starts at noon Eastern time, aka 9:00 am Pacific time.  And, you know, there's no shame in setting yourself a reminder to be one of those lucky first thousand people.

Free U by Kotex samples.

Here's a ladies-only offer from the sampling page of Walmart's website... Click on "free sample" and fill out the form to receive a free sample of U by Kotex. You can choose Clean Wear Pads, Click Tampons, or Barely There Liners.

In a world of pastel pink liners, flowery packages, and baby-powder scents, it's nice to see some feminine hygiene products that aren't afraid to deliver a blast of neon color.  Maybe they could even masquerade as pencil pouches or something in your backpack...

Seattle: Big Bonanza summer sale in West Seattle.

Wait, is it really time for "end-of-summer" sales already?  I know stores are full of back-to-school junk, but that's just the usual aggressive promotion.  But a farewell-to-summer sale feels like the kiss of death to a Seattle summer that never really got out of the gate.  Sigh.

Well, anyway, head on over to West Seattle this Saturday for a 40-merchant Big Bonanza sidewalk sale at the Junction, including a free water-gun fight at noon (weather permitting).

Origins: Free full-size face wash + free shipping with any purchase.

Origins has a pretty nice gift with purchase offer going right now... get a free full-sized Checks & Balances face wash (normally $18.50) and free shipping with any purchase when you use code MYGIFT. The cheapest thing I've found on the site is the Smileage Plus sheer lip tint for $11.50, which actually looks like something I'd use.  Though I do love the Ginger Souffle whipped body cream, which is slightly pricier at $27.50...

Borders: 33% off one item.

Oh, don't act all surprised.  When doesn't Borders have a 33% off any item coupon going?  Well, okay, sometimes they have 40% coupons, but today you'll just have to be satisfied with the regular old 33%.

And remember, even though you wouldn't know it from their crappy, unsearchable website, they do have lots and lots of candles, fragrances, fancy chocolate, journals, and other cute gifty items, so why not restock your gift box?  I mean, you DO keep a box of inexpensive, tasteful emergency hostess/birthday gifts on hand at all times, don't you?  Of course you do.

Cost Plus: Buy three bags of coffee, get one free.

Cost Plus has a coffee rewards program where you buy six 12-oz bags of coffee and get one free... and on Wednesdays, you get double points, so it's actually buy three, get one free.  My mom, who's quite a thrifty shopper herself, does this during the holidays for office gifts or to tuck into holiday food baskets.  So you could get an early start on your shopping or just stock up your pantry for a while!

And just in case you belonged to the OLD coffee club that had a physical card, you can turn it in before August 31 and get a free bag, too.

"This is a new coffee rewards program, tracked electronically - with no card to punch! Click the 'Sign Up' link to apply for a free World Market Explorer ID and enter it at the time of purchase in the store to receive credit toward your coffee reward. After purchasing six bags, you'll receive notification of the earned reward by email, and you must print the reward coupon to redeem it in the store for a free bag of coffee."

My mom tells me they have plenty of flavored coffees, especially around the holidays, which makes it perfect for gift-giving. She might be a little mad that I'm sharing her secret with you, but I think thrifty tips are made for sharing!  :)

Borders: 33% off any item.

Oh, and of course there's a good old 33% off any item coupon at Borders, too.  Hurrah!

Borders: 40% off all CDs and DVDs.

Borders has a couple of coupons out this week for 40% off CDs and DVDs, respectively. I think what they're trying to tell us is books are stupid, and we should either watch the movie adaptation or, for intellectuals, listen to the audiobook version. 

Lately my reading tolerance for anything but magazines is practically nil, so I'm OK with this plan!

Tanga: Outside magazine for $3.

Tanga has another magazine subscription deal going - Outside magazine for just $2.99.  As always, it may appear to be more on the product page, but once you apply the promo code, it will show up in your cart at the discounted rate.

Coupon code: OUTSIDE (Outside for $2.99)

Looks like there may be some more codes floating around, so if I can verify them, I'll post them later...

Seattle: Free Tutta Bella pizzas, Aug. 16-22.

Who wants pizza?  How about free pizza? Tutta Bella was named 2010 Independent Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today magazine (seriously), and they're celebrating by offering FREE pizza in their restaurants from Aug. 16-22.  Here are the details:

"Monday, August 16, through Sunday, August 22, Tutta Bella is offering a free pizza to every table at each of its four locations. So, it's a free pizza per-table, regardless of the number of guests seated at yours. (Disclaimer: the offer is available at lunch and dinner for dine-in guests only and not valid with any other coupon or discount.)"

So it sounds like a free pizza whether you're a party of one or ten, though of course it would be gracious to order a little something extra besides your free pizza.  Sounds like the Westlake location has a pretty nice happy hour normally, so I may have a reason to stop in there once this free-for-all is over too.

Seattle: Free Cupcake Royale mini-cake, free outdoor movie tonight at Cal Anderson.

I just saw this promising post on Cupcake Royale's FB feed:

"What are YOU doing tonight? Endulge in a cupcake before seeing "Eat Pray Love" at the Majestic Bay Theater next door to our cafe in Ballard OR grab a free baby cake at the concession stand at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill and flashback to the 80's with Madonna in "Desperately Seeking Susan" playing at 3 Dollar Bill Cinema's BLONDE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Outdoor Movie Festival sponsored by Cupcake Royale!"

Yeah, "endulge" isn't exactly a word, but cut 'em a break - they're bakers of delicious FREE treats, not professors of spellology.

33% off at Borders.

It may be Friday the 13th, but we can keep any bad luck at bay with enough freebies and treats!  Let's start things off with a 33% coupon at Borders.  Last time I checked, they didn't carry rabbits' feet, but you might be able to find a serenity candle or a book about Wicca or something.

Free Starbucks business cards.

I'm a little baffled by this freebie, but apparently Starbucks wants to customize and mail some silly gag business cards to you... so you can... hand them out to people?  Or something?  No, I don't really get it.

Fill in your contact info, pick a pretend job title (e.g., "That Guy"), and choose a design template, then request that they send you your cards.  And, um, enjoy, I guess.

More Walmart in-store events.

Walmart is going full bore with these in-store sampling events. The latest batch includes Quaker Lifebars, Kettle Chips, Cinnabon Bars, Frosted Mini-wheats, Pop Tarts, Hot Pockets, and more.

Check out the dates for these events and find a participating store near you to take part in the free stuff parade!

Tanga: GQ subscription for $5.

Tanga has a very manly magazine deal today... just $5 for a subscription to GQ Magazine with promo code GQ. It looks like $20 on the product page, but the price will adjust once you enter the code.

Man, I have so many magazine subscriptions these days because they're all so darn desperate for readers that they're marking prices down to practically nothing. How can I resist a year's subscription for the price of one issue?  How can YOU?

Boston Market: Free smoothies on Sat., Aug. 14.

Who wants a free smoothie? You? You? You in the back? Well, head on down to your local Boston Market this Saturday, Aug. 14, and you can get a free Minute Maid fruit smoothie... IF you live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, or Virginia.

You will note that Washington is not on that list, so no free smoothies for me.  But I'm going to be at a Renaissance Faire anyway, and who needs a smoothie when you can have a turkey leg and a flagon of mead?

Swagbucks: Free 50 SBs today, giant code extravaganza tomorrow!

I've talked about Swagbucks before, so scroll on if you already know about it, but today they're offering a special bonus, so I thought I'd let you know. Swagbucks is a search-and-win website that awards you points for searching online and completing special offers, which you can use to buy merchandise and (more importantly) gift cards from Amazon, Paypal, Starbucks, and more. You can sign up here (full disclosure: that's my referral link and when you sign up and earn points, it awards me points, too). Read my online review of it if you want to learn all the details. I earn enough points for $25 worth of Amazon gift cards a month, enough for a little personal shopping spree every month.


Today, Swagbucks is running a special offer: if you join today, enter code SwagToSchool on the homepage where it says "Enter Your Swag Code," and you'll get an extra 20 SBs! That's 50 Swagbucks to start instead of 30, and since a $5 Amazon gift card costs 450 SBs, you'll be well on your way. Tomorrow they'll be doing FIVE more promo codes, so it should be a bumper crop of free swagbucks!


Last but not least, if you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you'll see the Swagbucks widget. This little gadget tracks SB promo codes that are available on the SB blog, Twitter, Facebook, and more, so it's a handy thing to check throughout the day, especially for tomorrow's promo code extravaganza. If you like free stuff, then I think you'll enjoy Swagbucks!

1,000 free pens a day from Bic Easy Glide.

Now there's a freebie guaranteed to win my heart! 1,000 free pens a day through September 9, courtesy of Bic Easy Glide. I don't know when the official "day" resets (possibly 12:01 a.m. EDT?), but check back at various times and see when the form becomes available again, and let us know if you have success!

2 free Smart for Life diet cookies.

Normally I'm skeptical about "diet cookies" or "breakfast cookies" or any situation in which a cookie purports to be healthy and meal-like, because either it's lying about the wholesomeness or it tastes awful. Still, with this freebie offer from Smart for Life, there's nothing to lose. Except excess weight, amIright?!


Ahem.  Fill out the form to get two free Smart for Life cookies and a coupon for UnderWAY beverages, which sounds like Underwear Beverages, which is also not something that I want to have for breakfast. But hey, maybe you do.

Dillard's: Try on Jessica Simpson jeans, get a free t-shirt.

You could say that it doesn't reflect very well on Jessica Simpson's denim line if consumers have to be bribed with free t-shirts to try them on. Then again, free is free, and I have been known to try on clothes even without the lure of freebies. True story!

Go to Dillard's, try on the jeans, and get a free layering t-shirt. Doesn't look like you need a coupon for this one, it's just while supplies last or through Aug. 14.

Seattle: Free s'mores at Library Bistro Aug. 10.

Last Saturday was National Mustard Day, when I happened to have the privilege of being at the National Mustard Museum to celebrate. Tomorrow, Aug. 10, is National S'mores Day, and while I don't know of any s'mores museums, you can get a free s'more if you're in downtown Seattle from noon to 1:00 pm.

"Seattle's Library Bistro is giving away its version of the gooey treat — toasted marshmallows in melted chocolate with graham cracker crumbs — free from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Come to the patio at First Avenue and Madison Street to pick one up. For more information, call 206-624-3646 or go to www.facebook.com/librarybistro."

(Courtesy of the Seattle Times)

Borders: 33% off one item.

It's funny, but at the very moment that this 33% off Borders coupon arrived, I was browsing on Amazon and toying with the idea of getting one of the sassy new mini-Kindles. It's as if Borders knew what I was doing, and was all, "Nooooo! Don't go over to the dark side! Embrace the world of paper and ink for just a little bit longer!"

Well, don't worry, Borders. I'm not about to give up my prrrrrecious book collection just yet, especially when you keep pumping out the sweet coupons. Now if Amazon offered 33% off Kindles, that might level the old playing field...

Amazon: Parents subscription for $4.

Know anyone who's going to be a parent soon, or maybe already is? They probably have lots and lots of free time to lounge around leafing through magazines, so why not get them a one-year subscription to Parents magazine for just $4!

Note: under Subscription Options, you'll see both "1-year" and "1-year auto renewal" for $4. Make sure you pick the first, non-auto-renewal option unless you want Amazon to automatically renew your subscription at whatever the regular price is in 12 months. Then again, with subscription prices plummeting like they have been, it could be, like, $0.36 by then.

Free Post-it Super Sticky Notes.

Among certain coworkers, I'm notorious for my Post-it hoarding tendencies. What can I say - they come in so many fun shapes and sizes, and there are those colorful little flags, and sometimes even highlighter pens with the flags stowed inside... it's just so exciting!

Share the thrills when you submit your request for some free Post-it Super Sticky Notes samples. I'm sort of suspicious that they'll just rip five sheets off a pad and stuff it in an envelope, but I guess free Post-its are free Post-its.

Free Emergen-C samples.

Aha, another healthy freebie! I can already feel the effects of my vacation eating melting away. And it burns calories to type about it too, right?

Get some free samples of Emergen-C through Walmart's sample page. These Walmart/Start Sampling offers always work really well and arrive quickly for me, so I'm happy whenever I see them floating around on the Internets. Plus, everyone can use some fizzy berry-flavored calcium...

Free Wrigley Extra Dessert Delights.

As you probably guessed, the HTN went on a little vacation last week, hence the radio silence. But we're back now and ready for freebies!

Let's start things off with a free pack of Wrigley Extra Dessert Delights, the sugar-free gum that claims to taste like a delicious dessert. You can choose from Key Lime Pie, Mint Chocolate Chip, or Strawberry Shortcake. Oh, and use promo code 353637 when you do it.

After the week of deep-fried-cheese-curd eating I just had, sugar-free dessert gum sounds like a pretty good idea...

Virgin America/Twitter fare sale, $39 and up.

Virgin America and Twitter are doing some sort of social media networking web 2.0 thing blah blah, but the POINT is, you can get fares for as little as $39 one-way! The sale is today only, so don't delay.

Plus, it's a do-gooder charity thing: "For 24 hours, Virgin America will donate five dollars for every direct booking made to educational nonprofits. Virgin America will donate up to $50,000 – and 100% of the donation will go to KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Classroom Projects on DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students. Virgin America is an ongoing supporter of the KIPP Program, which operates a network of free, open-enrollment, college-prep public schools in under-resourced communities."

Now doesn't that make you feel good about your cheap tickets?

Borders: 33% off one item, 50% off Philippa Gregory books.

What's this we have here? Another Borders coupon for 33% off one item? Well, I'm shocked. Shocked!

OK, not really, but it was fun to pretend. There's also a coupon for 50% off all Philippa Gregory items, in case you need some ye olde bodice-ripping historical beach reads for the summer... unless you live in Seattle, the Land that Summer Forgot.

Facebook: Free root beer float from A&W.

It's the beginning of August, and I'm staring sadly out the window at a misty gray morning, having gotten caught outside in a thunderstorm over the weekend. So you'll forgive a certain lack of enthusiasm on my part for this coupon for a free, frosty A&W root beer float.

Technically you're supposed to like them on Facebook and click some "free root beer float" tab, but I'm not seeing that on their page, so you could just be lazy and print the coupon directly. Unless you're too busy holding a mug of hot tea and adjusting your blanket, like me, that is.

Amazon: 1-year subscription to Yoga Journal, $5.

Yes, I admit it, I'm scraping the bottom of the freebie barrel today... there just isn't much out there for some reason. So may I present the Amazon magazine deal of the week: a one-year subscription to Yoga Journal for a mere $5.

I mean, it's not something I would ever bother to read, but maybe there's a thrifty reader out there who does yoga or something. Sigh. I'm SORRY, okay? Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow.

Seattle: Free Po Dog Aug. 5 on Capitol Hill.

Fancy-hot-dog lovers, take note: Po Dog will be giving away free “Mac & Tillamook Cheese Dogs” on Thursday, August 5, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at their Capitol Hill location (1009 E. Union Street).

This joyous event is part of the first ever Tillamook cheese tour, arriving in Washington state August 6 through 16. Tillamook’s "Loaf Love Tour" is comprised of three refurbished VW buses designed to look like baby loafs of cheese, which are touring the U.S this summer giving out free hot dogs, cheese samples, coupons, buttons, and more. You can check out the entire tour itinerary and plan your life accordingly - although, strangely enough, the Tour will not be visiting Seattle city limits, so I guess a free Po Dog is about as good as we'll get.